SERVICES

I help writers publish with confidence.

With experience working with traditional publishers such as Hachette, Macmillan, and Penguin Random House, I shape manuscripts that meet industry standards while honoring voice and style.

Not a publisher or author? I help museums with exhibition text, too, and have over ten years of in-house experience working with foundations, such as for the Pritzker family, as well as wealth management, technology, and other for-profit organizations.

How I Help

Line Editing

This is a deep dive into the nuances of your manuscript, sentence by sentence, word by word. Line editing tightens up the sound and flow of your writing. During line editing, I polish your writing to help you effectively articulate your message and create impact with your words. 

Copy Editing

Copy editing involves fine-tuning your text to eliminate grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes as well as general inconsistencies prior to the typesetting and proofreading process. I increase the clarity and conciseness of your work while being as minimally invasive as possible. During the copyediting process, I also fact-check your manuscript for any issues that may discredit your work. 

Proofreading

This is the final stage of editing before publishing. While proofreading, I carefully review your typeset manuscript for any lingering errors, inconsistencies, or formatting or layout issues. A proofreader should catch any mistakes a close reader would find.

While I combine many of my services, I strictly do not combine copy editing and proofreading services, since it is important for a manuscript to be reviewed by a separate copy editor and proofreader.

Customized Service

Do you need a mixture of editing services, such as line editing and copyediting, or developmental editing and citation formatting? Or do you need something different, such as project management, beta reading, consulting, or ghost writing? Many of the services that I offer can be tailored or combined, depending on your needs. Email me and we can come up with the perfect service or package for you.

Book Coaching

Like an athletic coach, a book coach offers whatever suggestions and help are necessary for you to move forward. I can support your writing through coaching at any stage of the writing process, with your personal goals in mind. This can include: project management, draft evaluation, assignments and exercises, resource suggestion, grammar help, or publishing guidance—whatever is needed to help you thrive.

Developmental Editing

This is a big-picture review of your manuscript, before line editing and copy editing, that helps shape your work and organize your ideas. This can include character and plot development as well as finding structural inconsistencies. Developmental editing provides a high-level view of your writing in which I create a developmental plan and mark up your manuscript, helping you create a coherent, engaging, and marketable book that aligns with your goals. 

Manuscript Evaluation

Similar to developmental editing, a manuscript evaluation looks at the big picture of your writing, but it also results in a report on your manuscript. In this report, I analyze the structure, narrative, pacing, transitions, mechanics, tone, and voice, and, if fiction, characters, plot, and timeline of your work, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript, with thoughtful suggestions for how to successfully move forward and revise your work.

If you don’t know where to begin, or don’t want a full developmental edit, a manuscript evaluation is a great, cost-effective place to start.

Citation Formatting

Citations can be daunting but are an essential element in proving credibility and trustworthiness in academic and nonfiction writing. With experience creating and editing in-text citations, notes, and bibliographies in APA, MLA, and Chicago style, I can create, format, or fact-check your citations, no matter where you are in the process. I’ve been hired by publishers such as Little, Brown and Company to flesh out, fact-check, and edit extensive citation sections for nonfiction books.

Not even sure where to begin? I can help you with that, too.

“In today's society, there are few professionals that exceed expectations. However, Helen did exactly that.”

— Tommy Clancy, Author

Why Editing Matters

Clarity

Clear writing keeps readers turning pages and keeps the focus on the content.

Credibility

Investing in an editor shows you are invested in your work.

Confidence

A professionally edited manuscript is something you can confidently share with an agent or publisher.

FAQs

  • All kinds! I mainly edit books and scholarly journal issues, but I also edit museum exhibition text, essay-length work, and business projects.

  • I’m versatile and work in a wide range of genres, in both US and UK English. However, my favorites, in no particular order, are memoir and biography, history, politics, cultural criticism, literary fiction, horror, and, of course, art titles.

  • No, I no longer provide sample edits, but I can send you a 2–3 page sample of a published book that I have edited.

  • No. I do not use AI in any capacity, and I also do not accept projects that have used AI due to copyright and ethical issues.

  • Collaborative. Once we agree to work together, I provide a statement of work that outlines deliverables, expectations, pricing, and logistics for your specific project. I then edit your manuscript using Word’s Track Changes and Comment features. Once the initial edits are complete (which typically takes three weeks), I deliver the edited manuscript to you to review. Most authors take a week to review but can take more or less time depending on their specific schedule. After you review the edits, we can set up a call or converse via email. As the final stage, I clean up your manuscript by making final revisions, accepting and rejecting all Track Changes, and deleting all queries so that your manuscript is ready for the next stage of your process.

  • Most projects take three-to-four weeks, depending on word count, editing service, and level of editing. This allows time for thoughtful, careful editing. Please note that my schedule tends to fill up quickly with returning clients; new client projects might have a wait period of one to two months, once booked. Please email me for my current availability.

  • I’m fluent in The Chicago Manual of Style (which traditional publishers abide by), APA, and MLA, and I’m trained in AMA and AP.

  • Send me your project details, word count, and any questions through my contact form or by email, and I’ll reply within twenty-four hours with answers to your questions, next steps, and availability.

  • Every project is unique, which is why I do not provide rates for long-form projects upfront on my website. Rates depend on the level of editing, word count, and turn-around time (rush vs. standard) as well as genre and the author’s specific goals. To determine the rate for your specific manuscript, please email me details about your manuscript. For a general idea of pricing, please refer to the EFA rate chart, which are in-line with my rates.

    For new clients, I take a 50% deposit, and then the remaining 50% is due at the completion of the project.

  • As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to work with words. In college I decided to combine my love of writing and art and study art history, theory, and criticism. Fast-forward ten years, after working as an accountant, office manager, and executive assistant for wealth management, technology, and law firms, I decided to switch careers and do what I truly love. I enrolled in the Editing certificate program at the University of Chicago, taking additional coursework in medical editing and writing and also developmental editing.

    A lifelong learner, I constantly strive to improve myself and my work by reading and taking continuing education coursework. I have also completed the Copyediting For Digital and Print Media course at NYU School of Professional Studies and plan to further explore classes in indexing and project management.

Ready to Get Started?

Let’s talk. Email me or contact me using the form below and we can start planning your project. I’ll reply within twenty-four hours with follow-up questions, to arrange a call, or to discuss next steps.